Starbucks Sued Over Coffee-Flavored Lip Balm

We call your attention to the case of Balmuccino LLC v. Starbucks Corp, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, No. 2:22-cv-01501:

“Starbucks Corp stole a Los Angeles company’s confidential information about plans for a coffee-flavored lip balm to create its S’Mores Frappucino lip-gloss kit, according to a lawsuit filed in Seattle federal court.”

— “Starbucks sued again over Frappucino lip-gloss trade secrets,” Blake Brittain, Reuters {link added]

More:

“Lawsuit claims Starbucks stole secrets for coffee-flavored lip balms,” Quratulain Tejani, NY Post

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Buffalo Starbucks Unionizes

Employees of the Starbucks on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, NY, have voted to unionize. These bolshevik baristas are the first in the United States to successfully organize, and were hailed by Vermont commissar Bernie Sanders. Starbucks employees also voted “Union Yes” in nearby Cheektowaga.

More:

“Starbucks workers form their 1st union in the U.S. in a big win for labor,” Alina Selyukh, NPR News

Update:

“A Rhodes Scholar barista and the fight to unionize Starbucks,” Greg Jaffe, Washington Post

Related:

“An Inside Look at Union Organizing in the Fast-Food Industry,” Lela Nargi, Eater

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Image (“Neo-Nighthawks, after Edward Hopper”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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The Pumpkin-Spiced Bank on the Corner

“Why Starbucks is Actually a Bank,” a PolyMatter video by Evan Edinger. Read more about this here.

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The Lonely Quest of Howard Schultz

On Sunday, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told 60 Minutes he was considering a 2020 run for president as an independent. This whipped up a hot latte froth of indignation among Democrats, who see Schultz as a 2020 spoiler, undercutting their candidate and re-electing Donald Trump.

More:

“‘Crappuccino’: Twitter Users Roast Ex-Starbucks CEO’s Presidential Plans,” Ed Mazza, HuffingtonPost

Updates:

“Ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz admits causing ‘hate, anger’ with 2020 talk,” Martin Pengelly, The Guardian

“Trump tweets that Howard Schultz lacks the guts and smarts to be president,” John Wagner, Washington Post

“A third-party centrist candidate like me could win the presidency in 2020,” Howard Schultz, USA Today

“Howard Schultz Is Fully Capable of Winning the 2020 Election … for Trump,” Eugene Robinson, RealClear Politics

Starbucks in Italy: ‘Costruiscilo, e loro verranno’

Espresso made it’s world debut in Milan at the 1906 World’s Fair. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz claims his visit to Milan 35 years ago inspired him to go into the coffeehouse business, so he’s thanking the Italian city by draining business from its venerable coffee bars. The huge Milanese Starbuckery opened Friday in an historic former post office, and plans are brewing for Starbucks in Verona, Venice, and other Italian towns.

More:

“Will espresso-loving Italy embrace country’s 1st Starbucks?” Luca Bruno and Frances DeMilio, Associated Press

“Starbucks fulfills its Italian dream. Italians are yet to be enchanted.” Aisha Hassan, Quartz

“Starbucks’ Italian dream comes true, but it is not cheap,” Francesca Landini, Reuters

“Does Italy Want More Cafes? Starbucks Will Find Out,” Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times

“Starbucks In Italy, Latest Stop On U.S. Food Imperialism Tour,” Brant deBoer, Il Sole 24 Ore, via Worldcrunch

 

Note: “Costruiscilo, e loro verranno” = “Build it and they will come.” Maybe.

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Access

When Starbucks closed 8,000 stores on May 29th to give 175,000 employees racial bias education, one element was a short film by Stanley Nelson, The Story of Access:

Starbucks in Shanghai

Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room opened Wednesday in the HKRI Taikoo Hui luxury shopping complex at 789 West Nanjing Road in Shanghai. It’s the world’s largest Starbucks, 30,000 square feet, with more than 400 employees, and can serve up to 550 people at a time, according to the company. Customers can use Augmented Reality technology to see the coffee making process and use mobile payment via Alibaba.

The first Starbucks Reserve opened in Seattle in December 2014, and the company plans to open a 43,000 square foot location on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue in 2019. More Reserve Roasteries are scheduled to open in Milan, New York, Chicago and Tokyo by 2020.

Starbucks has more than 600 coffee shops in Shanghai, more than any other city in the world, and has committed to operating 5,000 stores on the Chinese mainland by 2021.

More:

“World’s largest, most lavish Starbucks opens in Shanghai,” Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post

“Honestly, Let’s All Just Go Live in the Brand New Biggest Starbucks in the World,” Tess Koman, Cosmopolitan

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Starbucks to Bring Espresso to Italy

Starbucks is coming to Milan, and Italian cappuccino lovers are frothing mad. The java giant’s CEO Howard Schultz claims his visit to Milan 33 years ago inspired him to go into the coffeehouse biz, so he’s going to thank the ancient city by draining business from its cafés. The first Milanese Starbuckery will open in 2017, and plans are brewing for Starbucks in Verona, Venice, and a couple of other Italian towns.

More:

“Can Starbucks succeed in Italy?” BBC News

“Taking the plunger: Starbucks to open first store in Italy,” The Guardian

“Starbucks in Italy: The Italian espresso wasn’t express enough, apparently,” Samuel Muston, The Independent

Let a Thousand Lattes Bloom

Walmart may be closing many US stores, but Starbucks is opening 500 new coffee shops in China every year for the next 5 years. Starbucks currently has 2000 shops located in 100 Chinese cities serving Green Tea Lattes, Iced Shaken Blackcurrant Raspberry Juiced Tea, Mango Passion Fruit and Tea Blended Juice Drink, and Red Bean Green Tea Cheesecake. A latte costs about $6.

More:

“1 U.S. brand booming in China, in spite of economic woes,” Shuai Zhang, CBS News

“China’s Changing Tastes Offer Upside for Coffee,” Laurie Burkitt, Wall Street Journal

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The War on Christmas Coffee Cups

For many Americans sipping coffee is a sacrament, so that may be why the new Starbucks Christmas cups stirred up such a heated controversy. The cups are red for the holidays, but with a clean design devoid of tree ornaments or snowmen. What, no snowflakes? Another assault in the War Against Christmas!